Coastal flooding update. Friday morning

Latest news that has been circulated this morning by Suffolk County Council:-  

The tidal surge hit the Suffolk coast an hour earlier than initially expected - at 10pm Thursday in the Lowestoft area and 2am Friday in Ipswich.

·  Early warning and informing work undertaken by multi agency staff ensured that the public were given advanced notice of the need to evacuate homes in areas of high flood risk.

·  In addition to the severe flood warnings issued yesterday, two further severe flood warnings were issued overnight by the Environment Agency at Orford Ness to Bawdsey and the Stour estuary.

·  In Lowestoft; Station Square, the High Street and London Road South were subject to flooding.  

·  In Ipswich; there was minor flooding on the Waterfront and around Stoke Bridge and Wherstead Road.  

·  The Strand at Wherstead was closed due to flooding.

·  8 rest centres were set up to provide shelter for those in need - some were set up by local communities, but were only moderately used throughout the evening.  Shotley was closed at 2:15am and Beccles was closed at 3am.

·  Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service attended 16 flood and fire related incidents in Lowestoft and rescued 23 people.  

·  Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service attended 2 flood emergencies in Ipswich and rescued 4 people.

·  Flood defences in Ipswich were held.

The situation so far today:

·  The Multi agency Gold command group continues to be in place at Police Headquarters in Martlesham, Ipswich to assess the ongoing risk and provide a coordinated response to the flooding incidents.

·  Other Emergency Control Centres continue to operate in the county.

·  Around 150 properties remain without power due yesterday's windy conditions rather than flooding.  These are in Eye, Stowmarket, Ipswich and Saxmundham.  UK Power Networks are working hard to restore this as soon as possible.

·  The Environment Agency have advised that the next high tide is currently expected to peak in Lowestoft at 11:15am and in Harwich at 1:30pm.  

·  Advice to the public in affected areas is to remain on alert and if properties have been evacuated, to not return until notified.

Road updates:

·  The A12 at Blythburgh is likely to remain closed throughout Friday.  The seawall was breached and essential repair work will be undertaken during the low tide.

·  The Strand in Wherstead is passable with care.

·  The Bascule Bridge in Lowestoft is passable North to South only currently.

·  Mutford Lock at Oulton Broad is passable with care.

·  Greater Anglia have cancelled the following train services until 10am on Friday: Ipswich to Felixstowe, Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Norwich to Lowestoft. and until 2pm between Ipswich and Lowestoft, No replacement bus services will be offered and customers are advised not to travel.  Further updates are available at http://www.greateranglia.co.uk/about-us/news/category/service-disruptions

·  The public are being asked to report any highways issues such as flooding incidents or obstructions via the SCC website rather than call the Customer Service Centre. 

More information available from Radio Suffolk.